Fully Funded Scholarships in China: The Complete 2027 List

Seven scholarship families fund full degrees in China. Ranked by how many international students they fund:

• [CSC / Chinese Government Scholarship](/scholarships/csc): full tuition, accommodation, CNY 2,500 to 3,500 monthly stipend, medical insurance. All degree levels, 270+ universities. Deadlines December to April.
• [Silk Road / Belt & Road Scholarship](/scholarships/silk-road-belt-and-road): same coverage levels as CSC, reserved for students from Belt & Road partner countries. Deadlines align with CSC.
• [MOFCOM Scholarship](/scholarships/mofcom): full package worth roughly CNY 36,000 to 42,000 per year, mainly Master's and PhD, applied through your government and the Chinese embassy. Deadlines typically in spring.
• [ANSO Scholarship](/scholarships/anso): Master's at CNY 3,000 per month and PhD up to CNY 7,000 per month at USTC and UCAS, deadline around the end of January. The highest PhD stipend on this list.
• [International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship](/scholarships/chinese-language-teachers): full package for Chinese-language and teaching-related programs, rolling and spring intakes via cis.chinese.cn.
• [Provincial & city government scholarships](/scholarships/provincial-city-government): Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu Jasmine and others. Tuition-focused, some add a stipend, often stackable with university admission. Spring deadlines.
• [University scholarships](/scholarships/university-scholarships): each university's own awards, from tuition waivers to full packages, applied during normal admission.

Every entry above links to a full profile with eligibility, documents and application steps.

Biggest: the CSC. The Chinese Government Scholarship is China's flagship program. It funds full degrees at more than 270 partner universities through three routes: Type A through the Chinese embassy in your country, Type B directly through a university, and Type C for provincial and other special programs. If you only prepare one application well, prepare this one; the CSC overview explains coverage, age limits and the timeline.

Easiest by competition: university and provincial scholarships. They have smaller applicant pools because most people never look past the CSC. A provincial award plus a partial university scholarship can reach full funding, especially at the lower-competition universities that strong applicants overlook.

Best stipend: ANSO for PhD. Up to CNY 7,000 per month at USTC and UCAS beats the CSC PhD stipend of CNY 3,500, if your field fits and you can meet the late-January deadline.

Yes, and you usually should. The programs are run by different bodies, so their applications do not conflict:

• Within the CSC itself you may submit up to two Type A applications plus one Type B in a cycle.
• Silk Road and provincial programs are often ticked as an extra option on the same university application form.
• ANSO, MOFCOM and the language-teacher scholarship run on separate portals with separate deadlines.
• University scholarships are considered automatically or with a short extra form during admission.

The one hard rule: you cannot hold two full Chinese government-funded scholarships at once. If you win more than one you must choose, and concealing concurrent funding is the one documented offence that triggers a multi-year CSC ban. Disclose honestly and this is a non-issue.

The shared baseline across all seven families:

• Age: under 25 for Bachelor's, under 35 for Master's, under 40 for PhD (CSC rules; others are similar or slightly looser).
• Academics: a completed prior degree with decent grades. A lower GPA can still work with the right university list.
• Language: no IELTS or TOEFL required by the CSC itself; most universities accept an English Proficiency Certificate for English-taught programs, and Chinese-taught programs want HSK. Details in applying without IELTS.
• Documents: passport, transcripts, degree certificates, study plan or research proposal, recommendation letters, physical examination form. Free formats in the templates library.
• Country rules: some countries route Type A through a national body with its own tests and deadlines. Check your country guide.

The five-minute eligibility check tells you which routes are realistic for your profile before you commit weeks to applications.

Think in portfolios, not single bets:

1. Anchor on the CSC. One embassy-route Type A application if your country offers it, plus one carefully chosen Type B university. Start with the 7-step application guide. 2. Add the free extras. Tick Silk Road or the provincial scholarship box where your target university's form offers it; apply for the university's own award during admission. 3. Add one specialist program if it fits. ANSO for research Master's and PhD in the sciences; MOFCOM if your government nominates; the language-teacher award if you are heading into Chinese teaching. 4. Keep a fallback. The self-funded route at a reasonably priced provincial university costs less than most people assume and keeps a scholarship transfer possible later.

Deadlines cluster between December and April, with ANSO closing in late January, so a portfolio of four to five applications is one autumn of focused work. If you want an expert to build the portfolio for your specific profile, that is exactly what our $50 shortlisting session does.